


Permanent Partnership

by GreyLiliy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Fluff and Angst, Humor, M/M, Post-Pacifist Best Ending (Detroit: Become Human), Sexual Content, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-01-04
Packaged: 2020-10-25 02:08:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20716343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLiliy/pseuds/GreyLiliy
Summary: They paired Detective Reed with an Android to push the man over the edge. Forced to work with something he hates, he’d quit or get himself fired and would no longer be their problem.They did not expect their plans to be foiled by the Android in question.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A trend I have noticed in Reed900 fics (which is not a bad thing—it’s a reasonable one since it makes sense) is that Gavin suspects they partnered him with an android in order to make him either quit or get suspended. Usually he’s wrong because the department isn’t like that, but the thought hit me all the same: What if that was the truth?
> 
> And then you got this fic. :D I didn’t need to start yet another one while the others are still getting updated but the muse wants what it wants and it wanted Reed900.
> 
> Also yes, the RK900’s name is Connor. He’s an Upgraded Connor. He gets to keep his name in my fics. People can have the same name, even in the same workplace. It’s very common, I swear! But with that: Thanks for reading and enjoy!

They had paired the RK900 Connor, the most advanced Android available since Cyberlife had fallen, to be partnered with one Detective Reed in order to achieve a desired effect: That either the man would quit of his own volition or his temper would get the better of him and he would act in such a way that the Detective would face suspension or termination.

Connor found it insulting.

He’d woken to a world of autonomy and freedom only to immediately find himself used as nothing more than a tool providing the means to an end.

The Captain had informed Connor of who he’d be partnering with on his first day of work after he’d finished the proceedings and paperwork to be hired. The Detective in question was out on a case and the Captain said that was for the best so he could give Connor a “heads up” on his future partner.

He had warned Connor that the Detective had a great distain for Androids and his predecessor, the other Connor, in particular.

“If Reed so much as insults you, let me know,” Captain Fowler said. He pushed Connor’s badge and gun over to him after the paperwork had been finalized. “I will personally take care of it and make sure Reed gets his act together.”

Connor had left the office confused and went about gathering more information to better grasp the situation.

Through casual conversation with his new peers, a brief conversation with the RK800 concerning his past history with the Detective, and his own eavesdropping, Connor came to a solid conclusion: Detective Gavin Reed hated Androids.

He absolutely despised them to the point his common sense left him in their presence.

(Connor could offer no other explanation why the man would draw a gun on an Android that was trained, programed, and built to take down a SWAT team by himself.)

There was no logic in assigning an Android to be Detective Reed’s partner unless they were desperate (which Connor found not to be the case after meeting the rest of the precinct and looking at the staff listings) or they were trying to set the man up for failure.

An hour before the Detective was expected to return to the station, Connor solidified his conclusion that the partnership had been intentional and for the specific purpose of the latter.

The two had not been paired based on their compatibility. They hadn’t been paired based on limited resources. They hadn’t been paired by coincidence.

He had been paired with Detective Reed because he was an Android and they wanted an excuse to get rid of the horrible man in a way that no one would question.

He was not a tool.

Connor would not allow himself to be used.

* * *

Gavin sipped his scalding hot coffee from his to-go cup as he pushed past the gate toward the back of the station. He made straight for his desk, not giving a single person around him the time of day or a glance.

He’d chased some asshole hopped up on Red Ice for three city blocks after a full shift before standing around waiting for his relief before he could get home.

The caffeine in his cup was the only thing keeping his limbs moving and his mind awake enough to write a report that he could file before he went home and crashed.

But a jackass was blocking his path and sitting on his desk.

“Connor, so help me if your ass isn’t gone in five seconds I’m throwing my coffee in the center of your pressed suit.” Gavin shoved the Android in the shoulder and stepped back when the thing turned his way, unmoved from his spot. Gavin sipped his coffee and squeezed his way around to sit in his chair. He was too tired to force the thing to go away. “What’re you even doing here? I thought you were with Anderson.”

“He is.”

Gavin jerked his head to face Connor—it was Connor, wasn’t it? Gavin narrowed his eyes and looked over the Android with a closer inspection. The longer he stared, the more the small differences popped up: lighter eyes, neater hair, and a white suit jacket that Gavin hadn’t seen Anderson’s plastic pet wear before.

“Who the fuck are you?”

The Android held his hand out to shake and smiled as he said, “Connor.”

Gavin did not take his hand.

“As your new partner it’s a pleasure to meet you, Detective Reed,” the Android claiming to be Connor said. “I thought I’d take the liberty of introducing myself before Captain Fowler had the opportunity.”

He put the coffee cup on his desk.

“New partner? With me?” Gavin felt the anger bubble in his chest. “Have you short circuited, plastic?”

Connor had to be pranking him. Androids could do that thing where they changed their hair color and features on the fly. That was the only explanation—the Android leaned closer and Gavin leaned back when something else became clear: This piece of plastic was taller than Connor.

Androids could fake a lot of things, but basic build was not one of them.

“Detective Reed,” the Android said. He dropped a hand on Gavin’s shoulder and squeezed. “I have a feeling you and I are going to work well together.

“In fact,” the Android continued as his grip tightened. He smiled, pleasant and friendly despite the developing bruise on Gavin’s shoulder. “I won’t accept anything less.”

“Reed!” Captain Fowler called from his office, breaking into the tense moment with a welcome distraction. He pointed at the man and waved to his office. “Get in here. I want to speak with you.”

“Do keep your temper in check, Detective.” The android patted Gavin on the shoulder before he moved back into his original position, still sitting on the edge of Gavin’s desk. “Or I’ll have wasted my time giving you a heads up on the situation.”

Gavin stood and walked backwards away from his desk, keeping the creepy Android with Connor’s face in his sights. He didn’t trust that thing, but he’d also learned his lesson about acting too quick around Androids—his pride still stung from Connor beating him in the evidence room.

He didn’t turn around until he was up the steps into the Captain’s office.

“It looks like you’ve already met your new partner,” Fowler said. He folded his hands on his desk and nodded for Gavin to sit. “That’ll make this meeting quick.”

Gavin sat in the chair and sunk into it as Captain Fowler spoke about the Android and his expectations of Gavin’s behavior.

He wished he’d brought his coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! Connor the First decided that he wanted a bigger role in this fic, so I have updated the tags accordingly. Who am I to deny the adorable RK800 anything?
> 
> Thanks for reading!

“Connor!” Detective Reed yelled, loud enough to get the attention of everyone near him. He jogged toward Connor and his partner as they walked into the precinct. “Don’t move!”

“What’s he want?” Hank asked, narrowing his eyes as the detective closed in. Connor looked around for Detective Reed’s partner, but he did not see the other Android. The Detective, however, did not stop his jog and shoved Hank aside to grab Connor’s arm when he got close enough. Hank pushed back and snarled, “What the hell are you doing, Reed?”

“I need to borrow your pet,” Detective Reed said. He tugged on Connor’s arm, unable to move him of course, but continued to tug with a frantic, desperate energy. “Connor, I’m serious. We need to talk about your twin.”

Connor scanned Detective Reed and felt a tiny wave of concern for his raised heartbeat and increased breathing.

“Let go of him, Reed,” Hank said. He grabbed Detective Reed’s arm and detached him from Connor. “We have had a rough day and don’t have time for your shit.”

“But I need to talk to him,” Detective Reed hissed. “Just for like five minutes.”

“It’s alright, Hank,” Connor said. He patted the Lieutenant’s arm and gave him his best, comforting smile. “I can spare a few minutes to speak with Detective Reed.”

“See? He’s fine,” Detective Reed said. He waved his hand at Hank and frowned. “It’ll be a few minutes.”

“If he does anything, you knock him out flat again,” Hank said, pointing at Connor’s face. “You hear me?”

“I’m sure it won’t come to that,” Connor said. Detective Reed couldn’t afford the disciplinary hit to his record anymore than Hank could. “I’ll be there soon.”

Hank huffed like Sumo and shook his head before returning to their desk. Connor and Detective Reed both waited for him to go before the Detective grabbed Connor’s arm again to drag him somewhere more secluded.

The man’s stressed state did not decrease and he struggled to light a cigarette with shaking hands after they made it outside.

“Are you alright?” Connor asked. “You said this had something to do with your partner?”

Connor had found the RK900 to be intimidating, but from his observations the other Android had been getting along well with the Detective against all odds.

“I think he’s out to get me,” Gavin said. A scan confirmed the honesty in that statement and the one that followed. “Like, really out to get me.”

Perhaps Connor had judged his fellow Connor wrong.

“In what way? Has he threatened you?”

“No, not directly,” Detective Reed said. “But he’s…how do I put it? He’s always getting me coffee and filing all of our reports and paperwork by himself. Whenever we have a case he solves the whole thing in like five minutes but always makes sure to give me half the credit on reports—even for stuff I didn’t do!”

Connor tilted his head to the side while the Detective continued to ramble.

“And it’s like he’s got a sixth sense for when I need something! Every time I turn around he’s got a tablet or the evidence I wanted in hand and ready with that stupid puppy dog smile you perfected. He stole your puppy look!” Detective Reed waved his hand around, swirling the smoke in the air around the two of them. “And don’t get me started on the cleaning. He has my desk and car spotless.”

“And you think he’s out to get you?” Connor asked again. “As in intending to harm you?”

“Yes!” Detective Reed shouted. “What else would you take away from all of that?”

“That he’s being nice?” Connor asked. He opened his mouth and shut it again. Gavin Reed had always been an annoying man to deal with, but he’d always seemed competent at the very least. “Everything you’ve described would be considered kind actions.”

“Exactly!” Detective Reed grabbed Connor by both arms. He squeezed and leaned closer while his cigarette burned down to his knuckles. “No one is that nice. And even if he was that nice thanks to some weird miracle of Android programming, he wouldn’t be that nice to me! I hate Androids. You know it. Everyone in the office knows it. Fowler told him about it before we met. He should have hated me the second we met.”

“Maybe he’s trying to change your opinion?” Connor gently peeled Detective Reed’s fingers off his arms. “It sounds like he’s attempting to stay on your good side.”

“No,” Detective Reed said. He took a few steps back and shook his head. “No, there’s something bigger going on here. I have a gut feeling about it and I’m going to listen to it.”

“Alright, so why did you come to me?”

“You’re the only other Android here that’s on his level,” Detective Reed said. “If anyone could take this guy on head to head it’s you.”

Connor felt flattered that Detective Reed had that sort of misplaced faith in his abilities. The poor man must have missed the multiple times that the RK900 noted he was an upgraded model with far more advanced features and a sturdier, stronger construction.

All the same, though, Connor did appreciate the ego boost.

“Detective Reed,” Connor said. He put a hand on the man’s shoulder and squeezed. “Gavin. You are overthinking this. I’m sure the RK900 only wants to maintain a positive working relationship and this is the best way he thought to go about it.”

It wasn’t the route Connor would have picked, but who was he to critique his junior?

“Maybe you’re right,” Detective Reed said. He pressed his cigarette butt into the wall to smother the flame before dropping it into a waste bin. “But it’s still creepy how overly friendly he is.”

“You could ask him to tone it down?” Connor asked. “He might not realize he’s coming across so strong.”

Hank had accused Connor of much the same from time to time. Perhaps his junior had the similar issues since they came from the same base programing.

“I can’t,” Detective Reed said, snorting. He glared at the wall before leaning against it. “He might take it the wrong way and report to Fowler that I was trying to order him around. I’m one infraction away from a suspension and he made it clear any complaint from that thing counts.”

“Oh,” Connor said. He hadn’t realized Detective Reed was operating under such scrutinized conditions. “Would you like me to talk to him?”

“Yes,” Detective Reed said. “Please. I’m desperate.”

If he was asking Connor for help, that went without saying.

“Don’t worry, I’ll speak with him.” Connor patted Detective Reed on the arm. “If that’s all, I’m going to back to Hank now.”

“Sure,” Detective Reed said. He stayed out side and lit another cigarette. “Good luck.”

Connor spared him one last look before returning to his desk.

He sent the other Connor a request to meet later and was pleased by the fast response in the affirmative.

* * *

“I’m surprised he went to you for help,” Connor said, joining the RK800 at the small cafe table with a couple jars of thirium he'd bought. The other Connor took the offered drink with a word of thanks and held his jar near his chest on the table. Connor sat across from the RK800 and set his drink to the side. “I was under the impression you two did not get along.”

“I don’t think he had anyone else to turn to,” the RK800 said. “Detective Reed does not have many friends.”

“I’ve noticed,” Connor said. He took a small sip of his thirium and put the jar back down. “What did you wish to talk about?”

The RK800 shared what Gavin had told him earlier in the day and Connor let the laugh escape when he was finished.

“That’s adorable,” Connor said, taking a larger sip. “I had noticed he’d been wary around me, but I had no idea that was what was fueling it. I assumed he was merely uncomfortable around an Android.”

He felt relieved in a way.

Gavin’s fear that Connor wanted to hurt him was a far more comforting reality than his original assumption that Gavin had lumped him into his general hatred of Androids and was suspicious about him accordingly.

“I feel the need to praise his instincts, even if his conclusion was mistaken,” Connor admitted. He tapped his finger against the glass jar. “My actions have been calculated for an end goal that is far from sincere or his benefit.”

“Oh?” The RK800 asked. “In what way?”

“I’ve decided that I rather like having Detective Reed as a partner,” Connor said. He grinned over his next sip and finished off his thirium. “I’m going to make sure that our partnership lasts throughout the rest of his career—a permanent partnership, if you will.”

“I see,” the RK800 said. “May I ask why?”

“Spite.”

The RK800’s LED turned red for a blink before settling back onto a confused yellow.

Connor got up from the desk before he admitted more than he wanted to and said, “It’s been lovely chatting with you, Connor. We should do it again.”

He left before the other Android could comment.

* * *

Gavin was halfway through his beer when the knock sounded against his door. He pulled the bottle away from his face and set it on the coffee table before he turned and cracked open the blinds to see who was outside.

His plastic partner.

“Shit, what does he want now?”

Androids had to have the ability to sense weakness. Somehow his assigned partner had to have found out about Gavin’s little breakdown earlier that day with Connor already and had come to rub it in his face.

He wasn’t letting the Android in.

Gavin was off duty.

The Captain couldn’t get angry at him for things that happened in their off hours.

He let the blinds snap closed and settled back into his couch. Gavin retrieved his beer and went back to watching the television. As far as that Android could be concerned, Gavin wasn’t home.

“I know that you’re home,” the Android said, raising his voice to be heard through the door. “I can literally see you through the wall with a heat scan. If you’re indecent, I don’t mind waiting.”

“Fuck.” Gavin slammed the beer on the table and got up. He grabbed a hoodie off the edge of the couch and pulled it on to cover his undershirt and yanked his door open. “What do you want?”

“To talk,” the Android said. “I’ve decided that you’re going to be promoted to Sergeant before the end of next month, so there’s no better time to start planning than the present.”

Gavin shut the door—or tried. The Android caught it before the door could close and the monster pushed it open with ease.

“That wasn’t a request,” the RK900 said. He let himself into Gavin’s apartment, shedding his coat and hanging it on the hook as he went. “I’ll make you some coffee and we can get started.”

“Why?” Gavin asked. He wandered after the invading Android and dropped his hands on the counter. “We’ve known each other a week. Why would you do that for me?”

“Oh, it’s not for you,” the RK900 said, pulling out Gavin’s coffee maker from the wall. “Promoting you though the ranks is a purely selfish desire on my part.”

“How?” Gavin asked. “How does my promotion help you?”

“We’re partners,” the thing said. “What benefits you, benefits me.”

“That sounds like bullshit.”

The RK900 laughed and pushed a freshly brewed cup of coffee across the table toward him. He waited for Gavin to take a sip before he took a seat at the bar and pulled out a tablet loaded with plans of how to make Gavin look good and earn a promotion in the designated time frame.

Gavin locked himself in his room when the plastic asshole refused to explain the true reason for why he wanted Gavin to be a Sergeant.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update: I added a Canon-Typical Violence tag. Gavin doesn’t want to play nice. He’ll get there. Just not now. :D
> 
> But on a more fun note: Heathers is one of my favorite movies (and broadway shows, even if I’ve only heard the soundtrack) and I loved the Ashleys from that old Recess cartoon. I love it when characters have the same name, so yes, I do love the Connors, too. :P
> 
> So much so I almost want to get Sixty in here just to get it up to three. Mwa ha ha ha ha. 
> 
> But I won’t (this time anyway…). We’ll stick with just the two, RK800 & RK900. I’m not sure Gavin could handle more than that. But it is a thought for the future if I ever finish this thing :P
> 
> Thank you for reading!

“I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’m worried about Reed,” Hank said, staring at the man through the glass wall of the meeting room. Detective Reed sat ramrod straight in his chair with a cup of coffee clutched in his hands hard enough to bend the paper. Bags lined his eyes and his RK900 partner kept their thighs pressed together as they sat side by side. “He looks ready to crawl out of his skin.”

An interesting phrase.

Androids could shed their “skin” with ease, though humans were not so talented. Curiosity had Connor looking up the origins of the expression in the back of his head before nodding that he understood.

It was an accurate description of the fearful way Detective Reed held himself.

“I believe my conversation with the RK900 failed to produce results in smoothing over any misunderstandings with their relationship,” Connor said. He held the stack of reports near his chest, discretely scanning Detective Reed’s vitals. The RK900 looked his direction, as if he knew Connor had started the scan, and smirked before returning his attention back to the briefing. Connor added another ability to the other Android’s checklist: The ability to sense when another Android is running a scan. “Though I fail to see how keeping Detective Reed on edge helps get him promoted.”

“He can’t misbehave if he’s too scared to do anything,” Hank said. “It’s like that Android has him on a leash.”

“Should we mention something to the Captain?” Connor asked. He had no strong feelings one way or another for the Android hating man, but he was still a coworker and the RK900 should not get a pass on poor behavior because he was an Android. “It may require a higher authority than myself to intervene on the detective’s behalf.”

“I doubt Jeffery will do anything,” Hank said. He grabbed his coffee cup off the side of the desk and shoved his other hand in his pocket. He started for the door and Connor followed as they headed out for their next assignment. “It’s not how Jeffery pictured it when he paired them up, but he’s still getting what he wanted.”

Connor stopped walking. “What do you mean?”

“A guy like Reed is a problem now that Androids have rights,” Hank said, slowing to allow Connor to catch up. He kept his voice low, sipping his disposable to-go cup. He avoided looking at his partner and his eyes said they knew more than he was letting on. Connor remembered in that moment that Hank and the Captain were friends—but he was friends with Connor, too, and he kept talking. “The peace we have right now with the Androids is tentative and Reed is trouble waiting to happen.

“He was never going to get his act together on his own, you know?” Hank said. “So his new partner is the perfect solution: Reed either gets his act together and puts a lid on the Android hate or he takes it too far and gets himself fired.”

So they paired Reed and the RK900 together on purpose to make Reed behave.

Not because they would work well together or that the RK900 would be a beneficial partner.

It felt like the other Android was being used.

Connor looked behind him to get one last glance at the RK900 sitting next to Detective Reed in the meeting room: The only Android in the room.

His junior had likely come to the same conclusion.

They came from similar programming. It wouldn’t be hard to have the same thought patterns, even if their personalities had long diverged.

However, being upset that the Captain had turned the RK900 into a pawn did not give him the right to turn around and do the same to the Detective—no matter what sort of man he was.

“We should keep an eye on them,” Connor said. He took Hank’s empty coffee cup from his hand and threw it away as they passed a trash can. “While a change in Detective Reed’s behavior is preferable, I think it would be better if it came from a place of wanting to improve oneself and not fear.”

Hank patted Connor on the back. “I wouldn’t hold your breath on that one.”

“I don’t breathe, Hank.”

The man laughed and it brought a smile to Connor’s face, stilling his worries for the moment.

* * *

The Android hadn’t left Gavin by himself since he’d appeared in the apartment with his “promotion plan.”

He sensed Gavin’s fear and locked down, making sure his “partner” couldn’t run away and skip town to escape the overbearing prick. He’d stayed overnight, guarding Gavin’s door from the living room and followed him to work. The RK900 reinforced his constant vigilance by invading Gavin’s personal space. He was always within arm’s reach if not outright touching him.

Like the way their thighs pressed together in the chair during the briefing of the case they’d been assigned to assist with.

“Move over,” Gavin whispered into his coffee cup. He nudged the Android with his elbow. “You’re too close.”

The Android did not move.

“You’re fine, Detective,” the Android said, not taking his eyes off the screen. “Pay attention.”

“Prick,” Gavin whispered under his breath.

The rest of the briefing continued, though Gavin only caught half of it while his focus was latched to the Android’s thigh that refused to stop touching his own. He shouldn’t have been so distracted, but he couldn’t ignore the fact it felt like any other person’s thigh: Warm and soft.

“Would you like to head out to the scene now or wait until after lunch?” The Android took Gavin’s empty coffee cup and tossed it in the trash as they walked out of the room. “As the scene has already been left alone for over twenty-four hours, I doubt it matters if it waits another hour or so to be investigated.”

Gavin checked his watch. If they left now, they’d be at the scene in twenty minutes (he had at least paid attention to that much). If they worked at their current pace, they’d be done with it in an hour.

Late lunch it is.

“Let’s just get it out of the way now,” Gavin said. “I don’t want the Lieutenant breathing down my neck for not giving it my full attention.”

“I agree,” the Android said. He smiled—pleased. “It never hurts to show initiative.”

“I’m not doing it for your stupid Sergeant plan,” Gavin snipped over his shoulder. “I’m doing it because it’s my job.”

“Of course.”

The Android grabbed their things for the field and led the way to the car. Gavin slipped into the passenger seat and threw his head back.

He had to get out of this situation somehow.

* * *

Connor felt genuine pride for Gavin’s self restraint.

He’d been so sure that as the man approached his breaking point of self control, physical violence would become involved with their…disagreements.

But the anger had finally boiled over and the man had kept it to vicious words instead of fists or pulling his gun like he had on Connor’s predecessor, the RK800.

“I’m not saying it again you waste of plastic,” Gavin said. He stood in the doorway of his apartment, hands on both sides of the frames as if his frail form could honestly stop Connor from entering. “If you don’t get lost and leave me the fuck alone, I will report your ass—consequences be damned. I don’t care if they believe me or not. I’ll make a damn scene out of it.”

“At the possibility of getting yourself fired?” Connor asked. He rested at attention with his arms behind his back. “That seems counter productive to your own ambitious pursuits.”

“Like you’d know anything about those,” Gavin said, eyes narrowed. “You don’t know me.”

“I know more about you than you know about you,” Connor said, leaning closer. Gavin did not back away. Good. Connor shrugged lightly, tilting his head to the side. “Humans aren’t hard to figure out, despite the troubles my senior seems to have from time to time.”

“That so.” Gavin had stated, not asked. He nodded twice to himself before licking the side of his teeth. “I guess we can be sort of predictable.”

Connor saw the red warning lights before he registered the hand in his chest, fingers twisting around the pump regulator under his shirt. He had it halfway out and thirium soaked into his shirt, staining Gavin’s fingers.

“I’m getting really sick of everyone thinking they can boss me around. My job is looking less and less worth it if I have to put up with you every day,” Gavin said. He twisted, scraping the delicate piece of equipment against the inner rim of its casing. “Give me one good reason not to rip this out and make it look like you got jumped in an alley.”

“I have one minute and thirty seconds before total shutdown that I can use to break your neck,” Connor said, careful of his movements. He had sixteen constructed plans of attack ready to be executed from knocking the man out to going through with his aforementioned threat. But he would prefer that Gavin Reed back off on his own. “So why don’t you take your hands off me and I’ll pretend this didn’t happen. Afterwards, we’ll have a proper chat about what’s going on at the precinct. How does that sound?”

A full thirty seconds passed before either made a move.

Gavin relented first, the memories of the last time he fought and lost against an Android clear in his wary eyes.

“It’s creepy when you sound like Connor.” Gavin shoved the pump regulator back into Connor’s chest. He held his hands up, rubbing his fingers where the blue painted the tips. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

The human slammed the door behind him, leaving Connor alone in front of his apartment. Of everything that Gavin Reed had said to him during their brief partnership—the insults, the threats, the fearful words—nothing had stung as much as that comparison to the RK800.

“My name is Connor.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for these boys to start cooperating. A pinch. Enough to kick off the slow burn, anyway. ;D
> 
> I also updated the summary. It reads better now, I believe. Thanks for reading!

Gavin had washed the thirium from his fingers the night before; and he knew that any leftover under his nails had long evaporated, but the blue remained in his mind.

He’d been coated in thirium before. The “blue blood” of the Androids he’d trashed used to paint his pants and the walls when he and his buddies had their fun. It evaporated before the night ended and Gavin forgot it easily once it left his sight.

It must wash out, too, or he figured Connor would have said something about the thirium stains that would have dotted his clothes otherwise and he never turned that built-in scanner off.

The point: Gavin had never thought too much about thirium being outside of an Android’s body.

He never truly thought of it as “blood.”

Gavin stared at his hand while he sipped his morning coffee. He closed his hand into a fist to hide his fingertips into his palm and exhaled.

The Android picked up before the first ring finished. Gavin put his cell on speaker and brushed his hair back. “It’s tomorrow.”

“It is.”

“Where do you want to have this chat of ours?” Gavin asked. He knocked back the rest of his coffee like a shot and slammed the coffee cup on the counter. Gavin picked up his phone and carried it as he crossed the room. “Because we aren’t having it at my place.”

“You are welcome to come over to mine, though the amenities may be lacking.”

“I’ll bring my own coffee, got it,” Gavin said. He threw on his jacket and returned to the kitchen to collect a travel mug and filled it. “Text me the address. I’m on my way.”

“I appreciate your cooperation.”

Gavin hung up and slid his phone into his pocket after reading the address he’d been sent. The Android lived in one of the older city buildings they’d renovated into Android housing. He snatched his keys from the table near the door and locked up after himself.

The bitter coffee warmed him as he contemplated the Android’s true end game.

* * *

Connor kept an arm’s length between himself and Gavin at all times.

The human had been pushed to the point of violence and Connor had no intention of repeating the incident from the night before. The possibility of escalation was not worth the risk. His scratched thirium pump regulator was easy to hide; external cosmetic damage would be more difficult to explain away or brush aside.

He wanted Gavin promoted, not to fall headfirst into the pitfall dug for him.

Connor wanted to be partners.

Proper ones.

The desire for Gavin to call him by name had risen to the top of his objective list. Connor smiled as he set out a folding chair for Gavin to take a seat. He placed his own across from the man and took a seat. Thankfully, that desire did not conflict with his overall goals to prove the precinct wrong.

“Detective, I want to run a scenario by you that may put things into perspective,” Connor said. Gavin sat and dropped his coffee between his legs on the chair seat. He crossed his arms and leaned back, nodding his head for Connor to continue. “Imagine that you are a police dog, fresh from training and armed to the teeth with skills no regular dog could imagine having in their wildest puppy dreams.”

“Have you been hanging out with Connor or Hank?”

Connor paused. “Excuse me?”

“They like dogs.”

“No, I have not spent any time with them in length,” Connor said. Gavin ought to know as much himself, since Connor spent all of his time with the Detective. “May I continue?”

“Sure,” Gavin said. He lifted his coffee and took a sip. “Go right ahead.”

“When you arrive at the station, ready to work and help to the best of your ability, they pair you with the one officer on the force that hates dogs,” Connor said. Gavin snorted and put his coffee cup on the floor before stretching out his legs and crossing them at the ankle. Connor relaxed his shoulders and leaned back in his chair to mimic Gavin’s posture. “And they tell the officer that he has to become an animal handler and work with the dog or he’ll be fired.”

“Sounds familiar.”

“While the situation is awful for the newly appointed dog handler, how much worse is it for the dog?” Connor asked. He clasped his hands together and leaned forward to rest his arms on his thighs. “A trained police dog is smart, you know? They’re clever enough to notice the people around him do not like the handler.

“His instincts tell him that no one noticed his skills or wanted to give him a chance to prove his merit,” Connor said. He squeezed his hands and knew his LED had changed to red. “They saw a dog. A plain, simple mongrel they could use to get rid of the annoying officer. Surely the man would rather quit than work with a dog, no matter how capable, skilled, or trained the animal may have been.”

“You can drop the metaphor,” Gavin said. He covered his mouth and slumped further in the chair, crumpling his jacket at the waist. “You’re mad the higher-ups didn’t notice you were a highly advanced piece of plastic or whatever.”

“Partially. If I had to compare, it’d be like you showing up to another precinct and having everyone treat you like a rookie, with total disregard for your accomplishments and rank as a detective,” Connor said. Gavin looked away from him and retrieved his coffee from the floor. Connor stood and crossed the room. He opened the window to let in a soft breeze. “But I half expected that. Many humans don’t comprehend that I came preprogrammed with skills that others take years to learn.”

“Lucky you.”

“I wouldn’t disagree with that,” Connor said. “I do consider myself lucky to have been created as a military model with the programming that I have. I’m in a field where my skills are useful and come naturally, unlike Markus and the others who are learning to be leaders as they go in a process closer to what you experience as a human.”

“We’re getting off track,” Gavin said. He watched Connor from his chair, arms crossed once more; his cup hung from his fingers by the lid. “What’s all this have to do with me becoming a sergeant? It sounds like you’re the one who wants to be acknowledged.”

“You may be right,” Connor said. He sat on the window sill and watched the people below. “I am an Android, but that’s not all I want people to see. I am more than that, like you are more than just a human.”

“And you think helping me get promoted will what? Make me acknowledge you?”

Connor laughed and rested his head against the window’s side. “Please, you hate Androids. Why would I need your approval?”

Gavin frowned; it was adorable.

“No,” Connor said. He got up and slammed the window shut, hard enough to crack the glass. “I’m getting back at the people who claimed to believe I was a person and then only saw me as an Android they could use to get rid of you.”

Gavin sat up in his chair, eyes narrowed and lips pursed.

“I am more than a tool,” Connor put a hand over his chest, covering the pump regulator. He dug his fingers into the fabric, twisting it tight enough that his synthetic skin distorted. “And I will not be used without my consent.”

* * *

The shower water poured over Gavin’s head.

His partner’s gaze burned in his mind behind closed eyes. Gavin dug his fingers into his hair to wash away the suds from his shampoo. Once clean, he turned off the water and let the excess water drip before grabbing a towel.

Gavin had left the Android’s apartment with racing thoughts and an empty travel mug.

“Connor and Connor, huh?” Gavin left the shower and crossed the room to collapse on his bed. He dug the base of his palms into his eyes and laughed. “Those two are going to be the death of me.”


End file.
